Diabetes patients frequently develop cardiovascular disease. This applies both to patients with type 1 -and type 2 diabetes. In case of the former, however, cardiovascular disease does not develop until late in the disease course, as late complications, whereas patients with type 2 diabetes often already have cardiovascular disease at the time of diagnosis.
These macrovascular complications can lead to serious comorbidity such as:
- Coronary thrombosis (acute myocardial infarction)
- Cerebral haemorrhage or blood clots
- Severe infection in the legs, with possible amputation as a consequence
Cardiovascular disease is in fact also the most frequent cause of death in patients with diabetes. It is therefore important to be able to diagnose and treat these symptoms promptly.
There is at present no evidence to show which method should be used to screen patients with diabetes for cardiovascular disease. This calls for more research. Accordingly, research at SDCO will focus on investigating which techniques are best suited to predicting the development of cardiovascular disease, including research into:
- Diagnostic imaging using echocardiography, CT scanning and MRI scanning of the heart
- New biomarkers for the development of coronary sclerosis, universal arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis
Arterial stiffness appears to be common in patients with diabetes, and can be attributed to blood sugar, blood pressure and lipid levels. Finding ways to keep these three variables within normal range, but also researching new pathophysiological mechanisms, will therefore be another of the research areas within cardiovascular complications.
Research should focus on understanding the pathophysiology with the aim of delivering ‘precision medicine’, i.e. giving the most effective medicine for the individual patient. The objective is to avoid unnecessary polypharmacy and its potential side effects.
Collaboration
SDCO’s research in cardiovascular complications of diabetes will be conducted primarily in collaboration with one of Odense University Hospital’s elite research centres, the Centre for Individualized Medicine in Arterial Diseases (CIMA), but SDCO will also collaborate with the Region’s hospitals via the Steno Partners collaboration and general practice.
